- BMW is trying to fit the iX3’s vertical kidney grille to the new i3 sedan.
- BMW’s design director, Adrian van Hooydonk, said, ‘It might look too retro.’
- Instead, the i3 gets a horizontal kidney grille.
The BMW i3 is the automaker’s second Neue Klasse model after the iX3, which set styling expectations. The SUV debuts with a slim vertical kidney grille that we feared would be standard on all Neue Klasse models, but that’s not the case.
The new i3 sedan has a sleek and visible horizontal kidney grille design Lots slimmer than a tall SUV’s kidney. But there’s a reason the i3 looks the way it does—and it’s not for lack of trying. In a recent roundtable interview, Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW Group design director, said:
‘We tried [the iX3’s grille] on Series 3 too. But we felt that for the 3 Series… if we put a vertical grille on there, it would probably look too retro, and it wouldn’t be as sporty as it looks now. So we feel it’s for the sporty [sedan]the horizontal grill is more in keeping with the character of the 3 Series.’
Photo by: BMW
The new i3 looks unlike any previous BMW, adopting Neue Klasse styling and a “2.5 box” design. It has a long wheelbase and short overhangs, and the vertical grille wouldn’t flow well into the rest of the vehicle.
The i3 is expected to go on sale later this year as a 2027 model, with the i3 50 xDrive producing 463 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque.
Zander Sutton contributed to this report.
Motorcycle Pickup1: While we’d love to see a retro-looking i3, putting a horizontal kidney grille on the new i3 seems like a step in the right direction. The i3’s face isn’t as polarizing as the iX3’s, with the grille connecting seamlessly with the headlights.
